Ludacris is ready to shake up the holiday movie genre with his new film, Dashing Through the Snow, which premieres on Disney+ on December 3.
The rapper and actor, who has starred in the Fast and Furious franchise, Crash, and Hustle & Flow, tells Us Weekly exclusively that his latest project is not your typical Christmas tale.
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"It was great making this movie because, for me, there's a lot of deeper themes going on," he says. "A lot of it is about healing, getting therapy and trying to understand and identify your post-traumatic stresses and things that you had as a kid."
Ludacris plays Eddie Garrick, a social worker in Atlanta who has lost his Christmas spirit due to a childhood trauma. He takes his 9-year-old daughter Charlotte (Madison Skye Validum) with him to work, where they encounter a mysterious man named Nick (Lil Rel Howery), who claims to be Santa Claus. Nick takes them on a magical adventure that might help Eddie rediscover his love for the holidays.
Ludacris says that the film has "the comedic element, the heartfelt elements, and the Christmas elements," but also offers a "modernized" and "darker" take on the Santa Claus mythos.
"Santa has an iPad and an iPhone and keys. That's a different take. It's a whole different take," he says.
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Ludacris is proud to be part of a film that gives "a different perspective" on the holiday season, especially for the Black community.
"I think it's important to have representation and diversity in all forms of entertainment, especially when it comes to Christmas movies," he says. "I think it's important for people to see themselves on the screen and relate to the characters and the stories."
He adds that he hopes the film will inspire people to "be the best self you can be in order to be the best for others" and to "spread love and joy" during the festive time of the year.
Dashing Through the Snow is Ludacris's first Christmas movie, but he says he would love to do more in the future.
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"I'm always open to new challenges and new opportunities," he says. "I love doing different things and showing different sides of myself as an artist."
He also reveals that he has some new music in the works, but he is not ready to share any details yet.
"I'm always working on music, man. That's my first love," he says. "But I like to surprise people, so I don't want to say too much. Just stay tuned."
Dashing Through the Snow premieres on Disney+ on December 3.
